Wales launches free online archive

The new service is available under a special deal the government has with Findmypast.co.uk , which provides family history and genealogy information for historians across the UK. People accessing information on the website usually pay a subscription fee, but this has been waived for anyone who logs onto the site at any of the 13 local authority archive services in Wales. A Welsh government spokesperson told GC News that it could not reveal the cost of the agreement with Findmypast.co.uk as it was commercially sensitive. Enabling open online access to the 1911 census is part of a large investment into the development of archives, libraries and museums across Wales, the government has said. "This initiative is another example of our ongoing commitment to support museum, archive and library services throughout Wales. It follows my announcement last month of an investment package of over £4m to develop the work of libraries, museums and archives," said Alun Ffred Jones, minister for heritage. "This is part of the assembly government's commitment to provide local access to modern cultural services." The Welsh archive services provide a wide range of records covering areas such as landed estates and families through to local parish documents.